


Flutterby Wings and Fairy Cakes

by Leela



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2015-12-11
Packaged: 2018-05-04 13:18:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5335529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leela/pseuds/Leela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It just wasn’t fair. None of it. Not the way Malfoy had usurped Harry’s rightful place as Hermione’s best friend, gay or not. Not the way Malfoy had inserted himself into what was supposed to be Harry’s time with his friends, nor the way none of them cared to ask Harry if any of it was okay with him. And definitely not the way Malfoy kept looking at Harry as if he knew something, or wanted something from him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flutterby Wings and Fairy Cakes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mayfly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayfly/gifts).



> Dear mayfly_78, your prompts sparked more than one plot bunny, but this was the one that seemed to fit the best. I hope you like it. My thanks to my beta, E, who encouraged me and helped me when I got stuck. Any remaining mistakes are mine.

"And I want some chocolate ones, too. The kind with lots and lots and lots and lots of hundreds and thousands sprinkled on top." Teddy hopped around the kitchen on one leg, from black tile to black tile, avoiding all of the white tiles. His hair was a ripple of back and blue, matching his jeans and jumper.

"You sure that's all?" Harry couldn't help grinning at his godson.

Teddy stopped hopping. He frowned and cradled his chin in one hand, a movement so reminiscent of his late grandmother that Harry had to swallow hard to stop himself from saying something.

After a moment of silence, Teddy nodded decisively and spun around. His right foot slapped on the floor, inside a black tile, to stop himself. "Nana said to always get two for everyone. You can 'member that, right? If not, I can come with you 'stead of going to the Burrow."

"Let me see, that's twelve guests at your birthday party, which means... oh, twenty fairy cakes." Bracing himself carefully against the counter behind him, Harry grabbed Teddy and tossed him in the air, making him squeal.

"No, Uncle Harry. Not twenty. We need—" hanging upside down in Harry's arms, Teddy tried to count on his fingers "—loads more than that."

"Oh, I think we can manage to have _loads_ of cakes."

"From Draco’s fairy lady shop," Teddy insisted, giggling as Harry swung him around and placed him on his feet. “‘Cos they make the bestest cakes.”

"I promise. Cross my heart." After a quick dusting down of both of them, Harry ushered Teddy towards the Floo. "Now let's get you off to the Burrow, and I'll go and order your birthday cakes."

Just as Harry tossed in the Floo powder, Teddy turned back to him with a serious look. "You'll tell him that it has to be next Saturday, right? Not this afternoon, because you can't have birthday cakes if it's not your birthday."

"I could bring fairy cakes for afters, though."

"You can't." Teddy shook his head vehemently. "No fairy cakes until my birthday. They have to be special."

Teddy's emphasis on the last syllable brought a smile to Harry's face and a sense of loss into his heart for what he'd missed as a kid. Stepping into the Floo, Harry hugged Teddy tight and held on to him as he said, "The Burrow," and they were whirled away.

*

The sign above the shop said _Flutterby Wings and Fairy Cakes_. Painted butterflies and fairies swooped around the letters in an endless chase. In the lower left corner, almost invisible behind a screen of flowers and fronds, a pale blonde woman in a long green dress curled up on a lily pad, sound asleep.

Waiting for her prince to come, Harry wondered, or simply hiding from the world? He shook his head free of that particular flight of fancy. Born from reading one too many fairy tales to Teddy at bedtime, he was sure.

He opened the door with a jangle and a blast of sweet warmth. Harry inhaled deeply, feeling welcomed by the mixed scents of chocolate and sugar, fruit and baking cakes. He closed the door, with another jangle.

A fairy unfolded from the cash register and announced, in a high-pitched voice, "He'll be just a minute."

The fairy lady, Harry thought and snickered. Not that he was in a position to throw stones, or wouldn't be if he were willing to take a chance and let anyone know that he liked guys, but still...

A flash of bright pink in the corner of his eye distracted him, and he turned just in time to see a turquoise and white striped crup with something pink and fluttery in its mouth being chased by a male fairy with fuchsia and purple patterned wings. _Speaking of fairies_ , he thought.

"Found something to amuse yourself amongst the displays, Potter?"

"What? No!"

Unfortunately, if Malfoy's raised eyebrow and amused look were any clue, he knew exactly what Harry had been thinking. The desire to wipe the smirk off Malfoy's face was almost overwhelming, but that would probably lead to him being kicked out of the shop and there was no way he could go back to Teddy empty-handed.

Sauntering to the counter with as much dignity as he could muster, Harry tried to sound casual as he said, "Just trying to decide whether the chocolate lava cakes—" he pointed to a volcanic pyramid with thick trails of chocolate running down the sides "—or the lemon-strawberry fairy cakes with sparkles would be better."

"I suppose that depends upon whom you're having for tea, doesn't it?" Malfoy dried his hands on a tea towel. "And whether they know how to share."

 _Whom?_ Harry's brain stuttered. Was Malfoy flirting with him? Well, it was better than their usual exchange of insults. He managed a tremulous smile and said, "Unfortunately, my godson's more likely to get chocolate all over himself than be interested in sharing with me."

"Bad luck, Potter, some of these cakes are made for sharing." Malfoy reached into the display case and removed a cloverleaf of four interconnected fairy cakes decorated with ever-moving swirls of vanilla and chocolate icing. Placing it on the counter, he slowly dragged a finger through the icing and held it out to Harry. "Taste?"

Harry's heart beat a little more quickly for a second, and he licked his lips. He leant forward, parted his lips.

A crash from the back made Malfoy jump and smear icing across Harry's chin, mouth, and cheek. "Oh, for Salazar's sake," Malfoy snapped. An odd considering look on his face, he tossed a paper serviette at Harry and muttered, "Excuse me while I make sure she hasn't broken anything that matters." With that, he disappeared through the rainbow curtain that separated the kitchen from the front shop.

Wiping his face with the dry serviette didn't help much, so Harry wandered over to a wedding cake display with mirrored backing, dampened the paper with his tongue, and used it to clean the last of the icing off his face.

He wandered around again and took mental notes of the kinds of fairy cakes that he knew Teddy would love: chocolate, butterscotch, strawberry, and so very many more. Then, when Draco still hadn't returned after a minute or two, he poked through one of the display books. There were plenty of kid-oriented themes that would appeal to Teddy, like Quidditch and Martin Miggs, but Harry finally decided on the circus theme. He just couldn't resist the elephants spinning around on brooms.

Malfoy was still nowhere to be seen, however, and the calendar hand on Harry's wizWatch was heading rapidly toward _Supper at the Burrow_. He couldn't be late, not with Teddy waiting for him, but he definitely couldn't go without having ordered the birthday cakes. Teddy's hopeless attempts to hide his disappointment would be more than Harry could bear. Tentatively, he called out, "Malfoy?"

All he got back was quiet and an unmoving curtain.

Clearing his throat, Harry moved closer, raised his voice, and tried again.

Still no response.

Another glance at his watch showed that Harry barely had enough time to leave his order and Apparate to the Burrow. Carefully checking for protective charms and wards — this was Malfoy after all — Harry skirted around the counter and headed for the curtain. He couldn't really see anything through it, just glimpses of white and silver, and the unnerving absoluteness of the silence coming from the other side reeked of a _Silencio_ that must have been recently cast.

Strangely, the entryway was free of wards and protections, or maybe Harry's presence didn't trigger them. That thought left an unexpected ache in Harry's chest. He pushed it away with a vicious mental shove and reminded himself that he couldn't, he shouldn't, he mustn't do anything to pique the curiosity of the _Daily Prophet_. They'd only just stopped making his and Teddy's lives miserable with articles and editorials about the perils of a washed-up boy hero adopting a defenceless baby and the potential danger of allowing a werewolf child anywhere near the great Harry Potter.

His resentment flickered back into life at the reminder, along with an absolute determination to do everything in his power to give Teddy the best birthday party, the best life, he possible could. He shoved through the curtain with an, "Oi, Malfoy, some of us can't waste away our days waiting for you to... Hermione?"

"Harry? What are you doing here?" Spots of red highlighted Hermione's cheekbones as she looked up at him. She was sitting at a long wooden table in front of something that might generously be called a cake by someone who wasn't Harry. It was uneven, with a burnt bit showing through the icing in one spot, and so very Hermione.

Who was here, in Malfoy's shop, hanging around with Malfoy, when she'd told Harry that she'd be too busy this afternoon to help him with organizing Teddy's birthday party.

Before Harry could figure out what to say, Malfoy was standing in front of the table, blocking his view of Hermione.

Malfoy arched an eyebrow. "I thought you'd grown out of that habit of following me around and invading my privacy in school, Potter."

"I wasn't," Harry paused and made an effort to get off the defensive. He hated when Malfoy did that to him, especially when this was all Malfoy's fault. "I called for you," he said. "More than once. What was I supposed to do? Wait forever for you to answer?"

"It was hardly forever. Although I'm sure you believe your time is far more important than anyone else's." 

"That's not fair. You have no idea—"

"Harry!" Hermione came out from behind Malfoy and stood between them. Her hair was falling out of its bun, and a couple of strands around her face were coated with icing. A damp spot on her cardigan looked like she'd had something there as well. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I..." Frustration drew an inarticulate sound out of Harry that vanished when he saw Malfoy sneering at him over Hermione's shoulder. "I'm trying to buy cakes for Teddy's party," he ground out. "Or are you too _busy_ —" he laced the word with all of his mixed-up feelings about seeing Malfoy with Hermione yet again "—with your important business to remember Teddy's birthday?"

He regretted the words as soon as he saw the way hurt flared in Hermione's eyes. "I didn't forget," she said, her voice so flat and even that Harry felt her anger like a knife in the gut. "Draco was teaching me how to bake, so I could make a birthday cake for Teddy."

The knife twisted, and Harry flinched. "I'm sorry," he muttered, "but you could have just told me instead of sneaking off to spend time with Malfoy." _Behind my back_ , Harry wanted to say, and _Why don't you trust me?_ , but he didn't know how.

"I believe," Malfoy drawled into the silence, "that it was supposed to be a surprise."

Harry hated him just a little bit for that, for knowing, for getting more of Hermione's trust and time than he did, for being the person that Hermione planned surprises with. He released a breath, trying to push his frustration out with it, and said, "Fine."

They all stood there for a couple of seconds, not talking, not moving, until Harry's watch chimed an urgent reminder that he needed to get to the Burrow. "Birthday cakes," he blurted out.

Hermione relaxed, probably relieved that he was letting it go.

Malfoy's eyebrow winged up again, and he said, "Yes?"

"I need loads... a variety," Harry corrected himself, "of fairy cakes for Teddy's birthday party. With a circus theme."

Giving him a sharp nod, Malfoy said, "Go back out front, if you don't mind. I'll be there in a second."

Harry did as he was told, only pausing briefly at the curtain, because he heard a noise he couldn't identify. Looking back, he saw that Hermione had sat back down at the table, and Malfoy was leaning over her. They seemed comfortable with each other, like best friends; close enough that Harry felt like an intruder. He stumbled and almost pulled down the curtain in his hurry to get away.

*

"Two days." Teddy went back to bouncing like a kangaroo through the puddles. "Today's Thursday!" He jumped high. "Then tomorrow's Friday!" He leaped even higher and landed with a splash, "And on Saturday I'm six!" He jumped again and again, emphasizing every number with bigger and bigger splashes. "One! Two! Three! Four! Five! _Six!_ "

Harry couldn't help laughing as the last one sent muddy water flying up to Teddy's face and made him sneeze.

Teddy grinned at him, rubbed his nose, and ran for the next puddle. By the time they got to the Leaky Cauldron, Teddy was too filthy to go in there for dinner. Harry pulled him into the entranceway of the boarded up record shop next door and stood them so that anyone passing by could only see his back. Getting out his wand, Harry tapped the end of Teddy's nose. While Teddy crossed his eyes trying to see it, Harry murmured cleaning and drying spells. A couple of minutes later, Teddy was fit for dinner. Harry swung him up to sit on his hip and headed for the Leaky.

The main room was busy that evening. Almost every table was filled. The noise levels were high enough that Harry couldn't make out individual conversations. Thankfully, no one paused or seemed to notice when he walked in, but he couldn't help tensing.

Teddy's legs tightened around Harry's waist. He leaned in, putting his lips next to Harry's ear, and whispered, "I don't see Uncle Ron."

"I bet he's in the snug," Harry whispered back. "Let's go see."

"Okay." Teddy clapped his legs against Harry's sides and bounced. "Giddy-up, horsy."

Resisting the temptation to pretend to gallop, Harry wound his way through the tables towards the etched glass door near the bar. He nodded at a few people who greeted him but didn't stop. He might have talked to Hannah, but she was far too busy serving drinks to do more than give him a half-hearted wave and a yelled, "Hey, Harry. I'll have drinks and chips in there in a jiffy."

Teddy was squirming to get down before Harry had even closed the door behind them. Harry let him slide down and watched as he yelled, "Uncle Ron," and went hurtling over to him.

A flick of Ron's wand had Teddy rising up a few feet and floating in mid-air. Teddy giggled as he flapped his arms. "Look at me, Uncle Harry. I'm flying." 

Ron twirled his wand and Teddy made a slow circuit of the room. "I'm a dragon," he said, baring his teeth and making _Grrrr_ noises.

"Oh, no." Harry laughed. "Where's Charlie when you need him? Somebody needs to go get him so he can tame this dragon."

"Nooooo. I'm a good dragon."

"You don't like Charlie? I thought every dragon liked Charlie. What do you think we should do about that, Harry?" An exaggeratedly thoughtful look on his face, Ron stopped the motion of his wand, leaving Teddy hanging in place.

Teddy flapped his arms harder and kicked his feet, whining, "Uncle Ron."

A hand on his chin, Harry tilted his head and considered Teddy. "I don't know. Maybe it's time for," he paused before dashing towards Teddy with his hands outstretched, "Tickle Monster versus The Dragon."

"Noooo... Uncle Harry... not the Tickle Monster." Teddy giggled, flapped, and squirmed as Harry tickled him.

After a few seconds, Hannah came into the room with a tray floating behind her. She paused just inside the door. "Let me know when it's safe," she said, smiling at them. "I brought your usual starters: two ales, one iceberry fizz, scotch eggs, and a basket of chips."

"Heads up, Harry," Ron said. "It's time to," he waved his wand, " _Finite Incantatem_."

Without missing a beat, Harry caught Teddy and spun him around before swooping him over to a chair. The tray followed right behind him, skimming over to hover next to the table.

"I can't hang around and chat today," Hannah said, as she levitated the dishes and glasses off the tray onto the table. "Someone said there's a massive sale at Elfinware, that new clothing store down Diagon. They're all coming in with bags and bags of new stuff and here's me stuck working." She winked at Teddy, as she put some chips on a plate for him. "Seems like I deserve a treat, right?"

"You have to find your own." Teddy put his hands over his chips protectively. "These are mine because Uncle Harry said I'd been a good boy."

Hannah turned to Harry and Ron. "Well, I guess I've been told. I’d better go and see if the kitchen has any to spare for me."

Wincing, Harry said, "Sorry."

"It's fine." She smiled at him. "Although you might want to make sure he doesn't eat all the chips before you get a chance."

"Oi!" Ron reached over just in time to stop Teddy from piling even more on a plate that was already so full of chips that they were about ready to topple over. "Save some for me."

Teddy's response was to carefully add another chip to his pile.

"No." Ron grabbed the basket, shoving a couple in his mouth as he dragged it towards himself and away from Teddy.

"I think I better stop this before it gets out of hand," Harry said.

"It's a dirty job—" Hannah snickered "—but someone's got to do it."

"Bring another basket of chips and some brown sauce," Harry called out, just before the door closed behind her.

When he turned back to the table, Ron and Teddy were glaring at each other, stuffing chips into their mouths, and chewing furiously. When Ron reached over to snag one off Teddy's plate, Teddy picked up his fork and made stabbing motions with it. "No. You eat yours. Those are mine." He was too far away from Ron's hand to touch him, but Harry grabbed the fork from him anyway.

Teddy howled a betrayed, "But Uncle Harry, he was stealing," and tugged on his end of the fork, just as the door opened once again and a familiar voice drawled, "I'd ask, but I don't really want to know."

Ron said, "Hermione,” at the same time as Teddy yelled, “Draco and Mione! Yay!”

Casting a quick spell, Harry managed to stop Teddy’s chair from toppling over as he raced over to hug first Hermione and then Draco.

When Teddy was back in his seat, Ron got up to give Hermione a one-armed hug, still clutching the basket of chips in his other hand. "I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost."

"If you were that worried, you should have come with us," Hermione said. "There was this little shop off Diagon Terrace, the one across the street from the bookshop where I found that book on Comparative Arithmancy I’ve been wanting for ages. Anyway, you'll have to come back with me, because they need to fit you for a set of robes." When Ron made a warding gesture, she rose up on her tiptoes and murmured, "I'll make it worth your while."

Their kiss was light and easy, so very familiar, that Harry found himself gritting his teeth against the urge to tell them to keep their hands to themselves around Teddy. He didn't though. Keeping one eye on Teddy, who was back at the table, making engine noises as he drove chips through a pool of tomato sauce, Harry went over to the menu board. He ordered prawn bhaji and a hard cider for Hermione and was just contemplating the wine selection when Malfoy came over to stand next to him.

"This pinot is about as decent as it comes around here." Malfoy tapped one of the entries with his wand. He pursed his lips. "I should really introduce Abbott to our wine merchant. I'm sure Avery could greatly improve her selection at a far better price."

"You want Hannah, too?" Harry wanted to bite back the words as soon as they were out of his mouth.

"Hardly." Malfoy gave Harry an appraising look that twined through him in a flash of heat. "Where's the fun in that?" 

"You'd have to tell me," Harry said. "I'm not the one running all over the place with Hermione."

"Why, Potter, are you jealous?"

"What makes you think that?"

Malfoy's gaze swept over Harry from head to foot, and his lips curled into a smirk. "You know," he said, "I think you need to work that one out for yourself."

Before Harry could come up with a response, Malfoy was walking away. He took a seat next to Teddy and, to Harry's increasing frustration, was offered a chip off Teddy's plate.

"Friend stealing bastard," Harry hissed under his breath, as he watched Hermione join them.

"That's a bit much, don't you think?" Ron offered Harry half a scotch egg. “It’s not as if either of us are into shopping like that. If Malfoy’s willing to do it, more power to him.”

Harry shrugged and nibbled at the crispy sausage coating, because whether or not he wanted go shopping was beside the point. It was the principle of the thing.

“C’mon.” Ron nudged Harry. "Stop worrying so much about it. He's just the gay best friend, yeah? No reason for you or me to get wound up over it. 'Specially if he's willing to take Hermione out to look for clothes." Ron shuddered and took a swig from his glass of beer. "Takes her hours and hours. That's not for the faint-hearted or the likes of us."

“I suppose,” Harry said, grudgingly. 

He let Ron lead him back to the table and sat down on the other side of Teddy from Malfoy. He even joined in the conversation and laughed when Malfoy teased Hermione over her tendency to try on nearly every dress in the shop before agreeing that the first one Malfoy recommended was the best.

It just wasn’t fair. None of it. Not the way Malfoy had usurped Harry’s rightful place as Hermione’s best friend, gay or not. Not the way Malfoy had inserted himself into what was supposed to be Harry’s time with his friends, nor the way none of them cared to ask Harry if any of it was okay with him. And definitely not the way Malfoy kept looking at Harry as if he knew something, or wanted something from him.

*

“Teddy will be fine.” Molly gave Harry a knowing look as she sent a tray of sausage rolls skimming over to the oven. The door closed with a clunk and the timer set itself. “Bill and Fleur will bring him over tomorrow afternoon in plenty of time for his birthday party."

“Yeah.” Harry said, checking Teddy’s hand on his wizWatch again. It was still pointing to Shell Cottage. He cast a cutting spell on a loaf of bread, making sure that the slices were even. “I just… it’s his first time, you know? Well, except for staying with me when Andromeda was still with us.” 

“It’ll be good for him and for Victoire. She might be a bit young for him now, but two years difference won’t mean very much when they’re older." 

“True, and I do want him to have more friends.” Harry ended the spell with a muttered _Finite_ and a sharp upward movement of his wand. He paused for a moment to check the list of sandwiches that Molly wanted made.

“You could take some of the same advice yourself.” 

“What?” Harry whipped around to stare at Molly. His heart tripped a beat as he tried to figure out what she meant.

“I’m just saying that Teddy isn’t the only one who spends too much time alone.” 

“I’ve got friends.”

“I’m not saying you don’t.” 

“I’m only here until Ron gets off work,” he pointed out. “Then we’re off to pick up Teddy’s birthday present from Quality Quidditch. He’s going to have so much fun on that broom.” Harry couldn’t help smiling as he remembered Teddy’s excitement when he saw the limited edition Firebolt Jr. He’d had to special order it, and pull a few strings to make sure that Teddy’s was early enough in the run to arrive before his birthday, but it would be worth it. 

Clearly unconvinced, Molly let him change the subject and listened while he talked about the broom and how much Teddy was looking forward to his birthday party. They’d just finished winding strips of pizza and putting them on sticks to make pizza pops when the Floo flared to life and Hermione stepped out.

“Hi, Harry. Hi, Molly.” A cleansing spell sucked up the cloud of ash and Floo powder that rose up when she removed her cloak and hung it on a hook. 

“Hi, Hermione.” Harry twirled his wand in a quick spiral and murmured the charm from the cookbook at his side. Gold light spun into a pyramid shape. Then the pizza pops rose in a line and set themselves in place. 

“Nicely done,” Molly said, “and, now, I think it’s time for tea. The last few bits can wait until tomorrow morning.” With that, she shooed Harry and Hermione into the sitting room. 

They sat in their usual spots: Harry in an armchair and Hermione curled up at the end of the sofa closest to him. He sat quietly for a moment, not even sure what to say to her. He didn’t even know what she’d been doing since they’d seen each other at the Leaky, which was the strangest thing. Once upon a time, they’d talked every single day, usually several times. Maybe it was work — his job certainly kept him busy enough without counting the time he spent with Teddy — but maybe that was an excuse for both of them. 

When she didn’t say anything either, he admitted, “It feels like we never talk anymore.”

“We just saw each other a couple of days ago.” 

_But Malfoy was there_ , he wanted to say. Instead, he shrugged. “I meant just the two of us. It’s been ages since we sat down like this.” 

“It was—” Hermione frowned “—oh, Before Teddy.” 

Harry could hear the capital letters in her voice, like it signified an official change in timekeeping or something. He replied with an, admittedly mulish, “Well, you’ve been busy.”

“And so have you.” Hermione reached out and put her hand on his arm. “Tell me about Teddy. Have you worked out what you’re going to do when he’s out of school for the summer? I’m assuming you can’t take more time off work.”

“Not unless it’s an emergency,” Harry said. “Apparently I’ve already taken more than junior Aurors are allowed, because of the parental leave thing. I could push it but,” he made a face, “some of the others already think I get special treatment.” 

“I wish I could be surprised by that.” 

“Yeah, I know. Sometimes I think I could get the worst treatment of everyone and some guys would still feel that way.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I’ve signed Teddy up for Quidditch Camp. That’ll keep him busy for the first month. I’m working on finding a babysitter for the rest of his school hols.” 

“He’ll love that.” 

“Yeah. He only stopped asking me how many sleeps until Quidditch because of he’s so excited about his birthday. I’m sure he’ll go back to it next week, especially after he sees the present I got him.” 

“Ron told me about that,” Hermione said. “Teddy’s going to absolutely go mad for that broom. I hope you’re ready for it.” 

“I can’t wait.” Harry smiled. “So what about you?”

“Not much, really,” she said. “I’ve applied for a job with Magical Creatures at the Ministry. They’re looking for someone to revamp the registration programme in the wake of that series of exposes in _The Quibbler_.”

“Really? I didn’t think they took _The Quibbler_ that seriously.”

“I don’t think they usually do, but according to Draco, the Minister’s wife, Alisa, is driving the change. Apparently, their youngest grandson read the article on the miserable lives led by many werewolves and ended up in tears most of the night.” 

Something in Harry’s chest twisted when he heard Malfoy’s name, but he plastered a thoughtful expression on his face and said, “I bet Parsonby isn’t too pleased about that. He’s more of a _don’t make waves and get re-elected_ kind of Minister.”

“I’ve been working up a profile of him, to give myself some ideas about how best to approach him with my ideas.” Hermione’s eyes lit up as she began describing what she thought she could accomplish in Magical Creatures. 

Harry added a few suggestions here and there, based on his experience with Minister Parsonby, but mostly he just sat back and listened. Hermione had regularly driven him crazy with her need to talk on and on about anything and everything, but he’d missed it. He’d missed her. 

Just as he was vowing to himself that he was going to make a serious effort to spend more time with her, someone knocked on the front door. Hermione stopped talking, and Harry rose to his feet with his hand on his wand. Almost no one came to the Burrow unannounced and uninvited. 

As Molly went to the door, he made sure that he had a clear shot at whoever was on the other side. At Draco Malfoy, of course. Who else would want to interrupt Harry’s time with Hermione? 

On top of that, Malfoy was dressed in Muggle clothes with a rucksack slung over one shoulder. Seeing him in shirtsleeves was oddly disconcerting. Almost as if Harry had caught him naked.

That feeling disappeared as soon as Malfoy walked into the room, had Molly running back into the kitchen to put the kettle on, gave Hermione an enormous hug, and sat down in Harry’s seat. He barely gave Harry a nod of acknowledgement before launching into a conversation with Hermione, who didn’t so much as mention that she’d been in the middle of something with Harry.

Suppressing a growl of annoyance, Harry stalked into the kitchen and asked Molly, “Need any help?”

“No, I’m fine.” She gave him a wave with her wand hand, which caused the mugs on the try to wobble and clink. “Why don’t you go back into the living room and spend time with your friends? I won’t be long.”

 _Friends, yeah right_ , Harry couldn’t help thinking, but he did as Molly requested. 

Not feeling like interrupting, he took a seat at the far end of the couch. Malfoy was giving Hermione the same advice that Harry had, mostly anyway. He seemed to think the way to Parsonby was through his wife — and Narcissa Malfoy, who was an old friend of hers. Harry didn’t believe that would work as well as Malfoy thought, but it couldn’t hurt. 

Several minutes later, when Molly came in, Harry was still sitting there. Hermione was deep in conversation with Malfoy. Neither of them had so much as glanced his way. They hadn’t even paused long enough for Harry to say a word. 

“Here you go,” Molly said, giving each of them a mug of tea and placing a plate of biscuits on the coffee table. “I’ll just be in the kitchen, finishing up a few things, if you need me.”

She was gone before Harry could say anything. He got to his feet anyway because enough was enough. “I’ve got to go.”

That got Hermione’s attention. “But I thought you were waiting for Ron.”

“Changed my mind,” Harry said. “He’s running late, and I really need to get to Diagon before the shops close.” 

Hermione glanced at the clock, but the one in the living room only told the time. It wasn’t any use if you wanted to know where someone was. Then she looked at Malfoy, as if that git had anything Harry wanted to hear. 

Although Malfoy apparently had something to say. He offered Harry a smile that on anyone else would have been described as tentative. On Malfoy, it just looked like a half-assed smirk. “One second,” Malfoy said. “I wanted to show you what I got for Teddy. It took some work, but he’ll like it enough to make it worth every galleon.”

Harry’s curiosity got the better of him. He couldn’t resist asking, “What did you get?” 

His stomach was sinking though, and he was getting a sick feeling in the back of his throat. That only got worse when Malfoy picked up his rucksack, which clearly had Hermione’s Undetectable Extension charm on it, and reached inside. With a flourish, he pulled out a child’s broom. Not just any broom either, but the exact same Firebolt Jr that was waiting for Harry at Quality Quidditch.

Cutting off whatever Hermione was going to say, Harry snarled, “You bastard. You complete and utter friend stealing, idea robbing bastard.” 

Malfoy’s expression closed up. The amusement disappeared from his eyes, “I assure you that my parents were…” 

“Oh, bugger off.”

“Harry!” Hermione was either annoyed or pleading with him, and Harry just didn’t care which. He’d had it with Malfoy.

“It’s not enough that you’ve stolen my best friend, is it? Not enough that you see her almost every day while I hardly ever see her because she’s off with her _gay best friend_.” He tripped over the last words, spitting them out.

“What are you on about, Potter? It’s not my fault that...”

“She doesn’t need you, all right, Malfoy. She doesn’t need another gay best friend, okay? She’s got me. So you can just fuck right off back to Malfoy Manor.”

“Harry?”

“Potter?”

Malfoy looked so damn smug, so damn supercilious, that it took a few seconds for Harry’s brain to catch up with what had come out of his mouth. When it did, his ears started buzzing, the sick feeling increased until he was swaying on his feet. 

“You can’t,” he said. “Please. Just don’t, okay?” 

He could vaguely hear them calling his name. Hermione, Molly, even Malfoy almost sounded concerned, but all he could think about was how badly he’d fucked up and what would happen when Malfoy spread the news. 

He had to get away, couldn’t bear to see Hermione’s disappointment or the look on Malfoy’s face when he realised that he had something on Harry. Closing his eyes, tightening his grip on the wand that he hadn’t put down after Malfoy’s entrance, Harry took a step, a turn, and Apparated out through the emergency exit in the Burrow’s wards.

*

Harry sat on top of the wall around the back garden of his house, facing the cliff edge. He had his arms wrapped around his chest, but that wasn’t helping with the shaking. His eyes burned, but he couldn’t cry. He could only stand there and wonder what the hell he was going to do now.

Anger flashed through him again. At himself, not Malfoy, because there wasn’t anyone else to blame. He was the one who’d lost his temper and blurted out the one thing that he’d been keeping private. The one thing that was his, that he wasn’t ready to share with the gossips of the Wizarding World.

Grabbing his wand from his holster, he slashed it across the air in front of him. Yellow light flared from the end and sent a large rock flying from the ground. Water splashed up when it landed, a wave rose up and fell, and then the sea returned to normal. He did it again and again, but nothing changed, no matter how many rocks he sent over the edge.

He rose to his feet, as his frustration boiled over and came out in a scream. He slashed his wand again, dislodging a stone from further down the wall and sending it tumbling down. He repeated it, letting his magic wreak destruction. 

“ _Expelliarmus_!”

Harry’s wand flew out of his hand. He turned, hands balled into fists, ready to fight, only to find himself caught in someone’s arms.

“Potter, you absolute idiot.” 

Harry struggled, but Malfoy held on. 

“Let me go.” 

“Not if you’re going to hurt yourself.”

“I’d rather hurt you.”

“I’ve noticed.”

Something in Malfoy’s voice cut through the haze in Harry’s mind. It was so very dry and sounded almost like defeat, but that didn’t make any sense. Malfoy didn’t give up. Even when he was completely and utterly wrong, he bulled through as best he could. 

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Harry flexed his hands. He stopped struggling and waited for Malfoy to let him go. 

He didn’t.

Harry raised his head and found himself looking into Malfoy’s eyes. Somehow he hadn’t realised that they were almost the same height. 

“I still think you’re an idiot,” Malfoy said, “but Hermione swears that you’re merely oblivious and haven’t a clue that I’ve been hanging around so much to get your attention or that I got the damn broom to impress you as much as Teddy.”

“You what?” Harry gaped at him. His mind raced back over days then weeks and then months. “Me?”

“You,” Malfoy said, so softly that Harry could barely hear him. Then he leaned forward and kissed Harry.

The first brush of their lips was an electric shock, sparking through Harry, lighting him up. When Malfoy tried to stop, to back off, Harry slipped his arms around Malfoy’s waist and kissed him back. 

“Idiot.” Malfoy curled one of his hands around the back of Harry’s neck, and cupped Harry’s jaw with the other. 

He kissed Harry again, deepening it, making it feel like a claim. Harry slid his hands up Malfoy’s back, pulling him in tight. They stayed like that for a few seconds, and then Harry stepped back. 

“I’m not that much of an idiot,” Harry said, trying to breathe slowly and calm his racing heart. “Even if I didn’t figure out what you were doing.” 

“If you insist.” Malfoy arched an eyebrow, and his lips curled into a smile.

“I do.”

“Then you’ll have to let me show you properly.” 

“How?”

“Privately, if you prefer.” Malfoy held out his hand. “In public eventually, if you agree.” 

A tremor went through Harry and flutterbys started racing each other in his stomach at the thought of everyone seeing, of them talking about him, writing about him. He almost walked away, almost rejected Malfoy, but he really wasn’t that much of an idiot, no matter what some people thought. 

_Take a chance_ , Harry told himself. _Just this once_.

Reaching out, he took Malfoy’s hand. They stood there for a second, just looking at each other, and then headed for the house. When they reached the back door, Harry paused. 

“What?” Malfoy tightened his grip on Harry’s hand, as if afraid he’d let go.

“The broom is mine. You’ll have to find something else to give Teddy.”

“But…” 

“My godson, my broom.”

“I don’t…”

“Yes, you will,” Harry said. “You can bring the fairy cakes.” 

For a second, Harry thought Malfoy was going to continue to argue, but then Malfoy shook his head. “Fine,” Malfoy said, moving closer until their lips almost touched, “but you’ll have to make it up to me.” 

Harry stepped back so he could open the door. “You’ll have to show me how.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! You can show your appreciation for the author in a comment here or on [Livejournal](http://hd-erised.livejournal.com/51676.html). ♥
> 
> This story is part of an on-going anonymous fest hosted at [hd_erised @ livejournal.com](http://hd_erised.livejournal.com/). The author will be revealed January 8th.


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